Print Advice
Before you make your print purchase, here are a few tips and advice to help you make the right choice for you and your home.
Choosing your print:
Feel free to follow your heart choosing the right print, see it, like it, buy it and find the spot that feels best to display it. If following your instinct is your style, more power to you, work away. If you are the kind of person who likes to follow their head making decisions, please continue reading, there may be some useful information to help you make the right choice for you.
The right print for the right position:
Consider space you would like to fill, what size and orientation of print would suit best. There is a guide to calculating the final framed size of your print below.
Large Spaces
If you would like to add a feature of interest to a large space and retain a clean minimal aesthetic, Why not consider a panoramic or large horizontal print. These work wonders above a fire place or comfy couch.
Or why not opt for multiple prints to fill the space. Find a set of images that compliment each other and add a sense of curation to a location.
Between Spaces
Maybe it’s between doors in a hallway or a dividing wall in a large room, these spaces can be a great opportunity to showcase your print. Often lending themselves best to a vertical or square print. Providing the space is wide enough, a panorama can work in these spaces. Especially if there a table underneath where cut flowers etc are usually displayed, a panorama intrudes less with a shallower height.
Small Spaces
Maybe it’s your favourite quite corner to get in a comfy chair, crack open a book and relax with a cuppa. Or even above a side table, small vertical or square prints can compliment these spaces well.
Deciding with décor in mind:
Whether you have decorated your space calm and neutral, vibrant and colourful or in dark and rich tones, you can find a print to compliment your colour scheme. Consider which suggested approach will suit you best.
Complimentary
Compliment your décor with a print that contains a similar colour palette to surroundings of its intended location
Contrast
Why not add a pop of colour to a neutral palette or choose a print with contrasting colour to that of your décor.
Sense the tone
You may want to consider the tones in an image to enhance the feeling of your environment. In monochromatic palettes, why not try the often overlooked black and white print. These prints can have a great impact without shouting about it.
Framing choices and mount size.
Framing and mount choices can have a dramatic effect on the end result of your print, take into consideration the print itself, the colours and tones within the image, but also consider how the frame will work in the surrounding environment. I would highly recommend bringing your print to a professional framer, they will have a variety of stock to choose from and can offer advice in the selection process. I personally prefer to use a solid wood frame as they are of higher quality and last longer. In the past I have used cheaper frames from well known furniture supply stores, these are typically made of M.D.F with a plastic veneer finish and tend bow and become miss-shaped over time.
White Frames
My personal favourite, white painted frames. Solid wood frames painted white, with the texture of the wood grain showing through, are a simple and elegant choice. They have a modern, light and airy feel, allowing the print to breathe and work well in all settings. In my opinion the mount choice is very important with white frames, I personally use ‘Glacier White’ as it is a close match to the frame stock I use. If the mount is a creamy/off white, it tends not to look as appealing. Ask your framer to put a sample of the frame and mount together, so you can get the closest match of whites.
Black Frames
A classic choice, the little black dress of framing. Black frames work well in most surroundings and have an impactful and classic feel. They can how ever make the print feel smaller than it is.
Natural Wood Frames
Natural wood finishes are a great choice. They can compliment the colours and tones of a print, while also working well with existing furnishings and flooring of a room. Wood frames can add elegance, warmth and a natural feel.
Take this walnut frame as an example, it compliments the colours in the image, especially the earthy browns and oranges in the rocks. the variation in the tones of the wood also work with the tones of the image.
Mount Choice
Often overlooked, mount choice can have as much impact as the frame itself. The usual choice would be a standard 2 inch mount, but a larger mount can add a sense of importance, this can work great with large or small prints. It holds great effect with smaller prints, grabbing attention and drawing the viewer in.
Consider the picture below for comparison, the image size is the same, the mount sizes are different. The image on the left with the standard mount looks well, but the image on the right with a larger mount has that some extra about it, more presence.
Make it stand out
Why not go bold with your mount choice and brake from the norm. A black mount in a black frame can add intrigue and drama to an image. This combination can also make the colours in a print pop.
Consider The Final Dimensions:
Consider the final dimensions of your chosen print when it is mounted and framed to your specifications. This may be significant if you have a particular space in mind for your print. Below is a rough guide to help determine the final dimensions. I have used a 12x8 print as an example, with a 2 inch mount in a frame stock that is 1 inch wide. Calculating these dimensions the final measurements will roughly be 18x14 inches. The real dimensions will be slightly smaller as the mount will sit over the print by a few mm, the mount will also sit inside a recess inside the frame again by a few mm depending on the frame stock.
To use the rough guide for large prints, with a 2 inch mount and 1 inch frame width, simply replace the print dimensions with the large size. For example if the print is 24x16, 1+2+24+2+1 = 30, and 1+2+16+2+1 = 22, giving the rough dimensions of 30x22.
When measuring for a specific space, consider the final dimensions of your print when finished in your selection of framing. Measure the width and height of your space allowing for some space around the framed print. You can cut some cardboard to the dimensions of your framed print and use masking tape to place it on the wall to give yourself an idea of how it will sit in the space.
Glass choice:
There are a number of glass options available when framing a print, from standard glass, antireflection to museum glass, be aware these options vary quite a bit in cost, your framer can talk you through the options to find the best match. Although some glass choices can be expensive, they can be worth it, especially if the print is in a position with a lot of reflections or in full sun. Take a full sun position for an example, museum glass will protect your print from U.V damage and fading, even though these prints are produced using high quality inks designed to last hundreds of years printed on high quality paper, the sun can still damage a print.